Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte (PPAB)

Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte is urging the Department of Health (DOH) to investigate certain drugstores that refuse to grant discounts to senior citizens without a purchase booklet, pointing out their violation of a recent DOH order.

In December of last year, the DOH issued Administrative Order (AO) No. 2024-0017, which removed the requirement of purchase booklets for seniors to avail of the 20 percent discount on medicine purchases.

Senior citizens are now only required to present their identification cards and doctors’ prescriptions to avail of such price cuts mandated under Republic Act (RA) No. 9994, or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010.

Villafuerte, president of the National Unity Party (NUP), said the DOH must review the compliance of drugstores with its order and to “crack down on erring establishments”.

“The reported refusal of certain pharmacies to sell prescription meds to elderly Filipinos is a blatant breach of RA No. 9994,” he said in a statement on Tuesday, Jan. 14.

The lawmaker recalled that about a week after the issuance of the DOH’s AO No. 2024-0017, certain drugstores were reported to withhold discounts when purchase booklets were nong presented.

He noted that, under RA No. 9994, refusal to grant discounts penalizes first-time violators with a fine of P50,000 to P100,000 and imprisonment of two to six years. Subsequent offenses will face a fine of P100,000 to P200,000.

Establishments who fail to follow will face the cancellation of their franchises or business permits as well, he said.

Villafuerte said he is also appealing to the DOH and other relevant agencies to consider expanding this new privilege to persons with disabilities (PWDs) by also removing their requirement to present purchase booklets to avail of discounts.

“I am calling, too, on the appropriate agencies to consider expanding this new policy for elderly Filipinos by also removing this purchase book-requirement when they purchase their basic commodities at a discount in groceries,” he added.